Every month or so we email a newsletter to our fan base/mailing list with news and to give a perspective from traveling musicians. The archieved newsletters are available from the drop-down menu.

February, 2019

February Rambles

Dear Companions,

We woke this morning to snow in Berkeley! This happens about once every decade, so I immediately drove up to Grizzly Peak (1759' elevation) to take a look. By the time I got there, the snow was only lingering on the fallen logs, but here ya go: first-hand photographic evidence. My heart goes out to all of you who have been caught in the Polar Vortex. I am glad that things are warming up out there. Tom Rozum and I just returned to beautiful, rainy California from our annual Hawai'i Aloha Tour. We tried to soak up as much sun and warmth as we could (though it was colder in Volcano, HI, than it was in Berkeley when we were there), in anticipation of our next tour: North Carolina to Massachusetts, and points in between. We California wimps are a little worried about the weather, and our ability to weather it, so if you can please send us warm thoughts for the road, and help pack these venues along the way.

Looking ahead, I am really excited to be playing with the Right Hands again, starting this week. We will be starting our tour in Carrboro, NC, and heading north to the Joe Val Bluegrass Festival, one of my favorites. The last time we were there was during the big blizzard of 2015. Everyone was a captive that weekend, with nobody able to arrive or depart, and we had a grand time. I am hoping for the same feeling, but with clear roads, this year. In between Carrboro and Framingham, we will be hitting VA, MD, PA, and CT. One of my favorite banjo players and singers, Wes Corbett, will be with us on this leg of our journey. Please help us spread the word to any family and friends who may be on our path. It's not often that we get to the Mysterious East these days.

Tom Rozum will be playing with Tommy and the Rozumatics at Wintergrass (Brittany Haas, Tristan Clarridge, and Simon Chrisman), and I will be there with the fab Hills to Hollers. Unfortunately, Linda Tillery will not be able to join us due to health issues, but Barbara Higbie and I will be joined by the amazingly talented Vicki Randle. Some of you may recognize her as the wonderful percussionist and singer in Jay Leno's Tonight Show band.

It seems I have just enough time to repack my bags, change my strings, and put on my warm winter boots, and we will be on our way. I hope to see you somewhere farther down the road.

I will be teaching at four separate and very different music camps this year. These camps are an excellent way to accelerate one's pace of learning, and to have lots of fun living the music life. Check them out!

Tom Rozum, Brandon Godman, and Justin Hiltner will be joining the staff again this year. Last year (our first here) we had such a wonderful time, and are looking forward to making music in this beautiful, relaxed atmosphere again this year.

NEWS FLASH: we still have some spaces available for fiddle and banjo. I must say, from personal experience, that both Brandon and Justin are exceptional teachers. You can't go wrong learning from either of them!

Tom Rozum and I will be continuing our quarter-century tradition of taking at least one musical river trip a year. This year, we have confirmed two of our favorites, keeping in mind that, as Heraclitus said, you cannot step into the same river twice.

Three days and two nights on our beautiful, steep and wild Tuolumne River here in California, with ARTA

On each trip, we will spend the days exploring the river and it's tributaries, eating fantastic food prepared by our most excellent guides, and playing music around the camp in the long summer evenings. We invite you to join us on one or both rivers this year!

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Left photo: Chain of Craters Road, in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, was hit with earthquakes during the recent eruptions. It's a might rough road these days. Right photo: I took a wonderful hike in Koke'e State Park, Kauai, high above the Napali Coast.